Complications, Risk Factors, And Causes Of Temporal Arteritis

Gender

An individual's gender may make them more likely to develop temporal arteritis then those of the opposite gender. For every male affected by this disease, 3.7 females are affected. This uneven gender distribution is thought to be the result of the gender distribution amongst a combination of all possible underlying causes of the disease. Arterial degeneration and minute calcification of the blood vessel internal elastic membranes are more prevalent among women than men and can cause an individual to develop temporal arteritis. Another possible mechanism may have to do with the differences in the immune systems of females and males. Females are known to generally have increased immune reactivity to stimuli then males do. Females also have the ability to secrete larger quantities of anti-inflammatory cytokines and multiple antibody isotypes. This could cause the immune systems in some females to become overactive and result in the development of an autoimmune disease. It is the immune system of an affected individual that attacks the endothelial tissues, resulting in the development of temporal arteritis. A female who smokes or uses tobacco products is six times more likely to develop this disease than a woman who does not.

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Ancestry

An individual's ancestry can cause them to be at an increased risk of developing temporal arteritis. Individuals of northern European descent are at a greater risk of developing this disease than those of African or other heritages. Over 0.2 percent of individuals in northern European countries who are over fifty years old are affected by temporal arteritis each year. Over .022 percent of individuals in the same age group are affected by this disease annually in the United Kingdom. More than .032 percent of individuals in Scandinavian countries who are over fifty years old are affected by temporal arteritis every year. In southern European countries, .012 percent of individuals past their fifth decade of life are affected annually by temporal arteritis. Individuals who are of Asian and Hispanic descent have a lower risk of developing this disease. Individuals who have a heritage from a geographic region characterized by lower life expectancy then others are at a decreased risk of developing temporal arteritis. Ancestry may also be influenced by genetic predispositions of individuals of certain heritages, but the disease may not develop without the addition of environmental triggers.

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